1998 Audi A4 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Didn't have time for a full review, but I can offer you this advice. If you are planning on buying one to modify, used with high-miles, perhaps I would recommend a different car; or at least one with the 1.8t four cylinder. ...Still think it had one of the best sounding V6s. (You must figure out an optimal exhaust setup. I had to experiment with mounting one muffler in several places from towards the front, to the rear.) I've found mounting it where the OEM end-muffler was, is the best place. (Obviously, why Audi put it there in the first place...)Oct 30, 2011

Overall it was a very good car. I bought it with 140k on the clock and traded it in with 180k for a newer 3-Series. However there were tons of suspension issues ranging from control arms to tie rods to shocks and springs (front and rear for those last two). Power was decent (more than my new 325!) and the low-end torque was pretty good as well. Best part? quattro!! (see picture). That thing was never bothered by even 6 inches of snow on the roads where I live. Usually averaged around 22-23 mpg combined. Personally I think it is a great looking car for 1998 and it held up well to my continued abuse. I also loved the clutch... perfect take-up and feel for heel-toe downshifts.Mar 25, 2009

i really like the a4 very solid,relaible car although it wasnt expensive.good acceleration,superb brakes for a standard car 1.8 20v se 130bhp. faster than the bmw 316 318s. nice looking car sits very well on the road,positive steering.good parts prices realiablity wise i owned it for 8mths (which is quite a while for me) and only spent £140 on parts just normal things like brake pads,1 tyre! it was a good example with service history family owned from new. i have drove some of the 1.6 8v versions which are quite ropey in comparrison and fuel is more costly. the fuel mpg on the 20v version was ok if you drove sensibly! overall i think one very good family/exec car wouldnt mind the newer one either! lolOct 13, 2008

Anyone who knows me, knows that cars are my passion. You wont find a more perfect blend of performance and handling for New England Weather. 335hp. All wheel drive. 6-speed. 0-60 in 5 seconds. Top speed over 160mph. All this capability, as well as being capable of getting 26mpg on the highway(if you can stay out of boost). I have built it like I want it...but the interior and body are still relatively the same.Oct 09, 2008

I bought my A4 in 2008 and it took about 30 seconds before I decided that this was my favorite car that i have owned so far. As far as perfomance goes it was a full second faster in the quarte mile than my 1990 Audi 90 quattro, and the all wheel drive gave it way better traction than the 1991 mitsubishi 3000gt I owned. 207 ft lbs of torque stock and loaded with luxury features, what more could i ask for from the next vehicle to journey down the performance upgrade road with me.Oct 07, 2008

Fantastic car. Fast, quiet, great looking, amazing winter car, decent mpg, total luxuty... The interior was incomparable at the time, beautiful leather, heated seats, quiet as a vault, great radio. And it came with heated seats, headlight washers, heated mirrirs. Awesome. nothing to complain about except it was pearl white. I liked it so much I got another one.Aug 08, 2008

This has by far been the most capable, most satisfying, and most technologically advanced vehicle I have ever owned. It is solid, well thought out and very well built. However, keeping it in top condition is not cheap. This is a maintenance intensive car, and while most parts are reasonable in price, the overall cost of frequent maintenance and service can be quite expensive. The 1.8 Turbo engine has been troublesome to Audi. The original timing belt change interval was reduced from 90,000 miles, to 60,000 miles by Audi after numerous belt failures resulted in destroyed engines. Unfortunately, mine was part of that number. Thankfully I had a good warranty and a VERY good dealership (Carousel Audi in Minneapolis). This car is a blast to drive. Very solid on the road. And with the AWD, the car has excellent grip in rain and snow (it's outstanding in snow), and it even resists pulling out of the lane when the wheels on only one side of the car hit water puddles. Overall I would recommend Audi and the A4. Just be aware of the cost of ownership and if you own a car with the 1.8 Turbo engine... have your timing belt changed regularly without fail!Jul 27, 2008

I "inheirited" this car when I was 18 years old. This was my mother's car since new, and he didnt want her commuting in a then-7-year-old car with 104,000 miles. So for her 50th birthday, he bought her a Mini Cooper S (which, by the way, is fantastic to drive). I took over this car, and my previous car, my beloved 1987 Jeep Wrangler, went back to my cousin because the insurance cost was unbelievably high. I had been driving this car since I was a junior in high school because, before I got the Jeep, this was usually the car I drove because my older sister had priority over the car that we shared. I learned how to drive stick, and she didn't, so I would always get to borrow Mom's car. She's a beautiful 1998 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro that my parents bought new when we moved back to the US from France. My mom wanted a stick shift, and my dad wanted AWD, a combination that was exclusively provided by Audi in the late 1990s. The 2.8-litre V6 engine was updated that year, going from a single-overhead-camshaft (12-valve) configuration to a dual-overhead-camshaft with 5-valves-per-cylinder (for a total of 30 valves) and variable valve timing, which boosted output from 172 to 190 horsepower. This particular Audi was bought off the lot of Pray Audi in Greenwich, CT and came equipped with a standard 5-speed manual transmission. Optional extras included: leather interior, 6-disc CD changer, and optional Hibiscus Red Mica metallic paint. All for $30k. You can't buy a base FWD A4 for that nowadays. It also came with a free 3 year/50,000 miles service plan which included a loaner car, which is also something Audi doesn't offer anymore. Now, 10 years (and 9 Northeast winters) later, the car is still with us. It's a tick shy of 130,000 miles, and as a testament to its German engineering, it still feels very much as solid as day 1: not a squeak or rattle can be heard on the road, unlike the various American and Japanese cars that I drive at my place of employment (Enterprise Rent-a-Car). This is surprising given the fact that for the first 104,000 miles, the car was beat on by my mother; thankfully, the Mini hasn't been driven all that much to have been given such a beating. It has also taught both me and my brother how to drive stick, and is still on its original clutch, which is surprising given that its an AWD car with 130,000 miles. More praise can be extended to the interior, which is simple and remains in original condition with routine cleaning. The all-weather quattro system attributes to nimble handling in most conditions, and is very handy in the snow. The highway ride is spot-on: it rides like a bigger A6 (it has the standard suspension). It surprisingly has handled the many roadtrips we've thrown at it, and is a very comfortable traveller. Now, my relationship with the car hasn't always been filled with sunshine. Because of the car's rough history with my mother, when I inheirited the car, it came with a faulty Mass-air-flow sensor, something that has been replaced on the car 3 times since I've taken over it. The wheel bearings are an Audi sore-spot, and despite having replaced the rears at 90,000 miles, they are once again beginning to make noise not even 40,000 miles later. This past fall, there was a major service done at 126,000 miles where the technicians diagnosed many oil leaks (among other things), and recommended that the car have a valve job done because it was burning oil. The other repairs were too expensive, so the valve job was not done. The exhaust system has a few leaks here and there, but the rest of the system is still in good condition. DIY maintenance has been fairly decent: due to Audi's notoriety amongst driving enthusiasts for having its engine mounted forward of the front axle, the oil drain plug and filter are conveniently located right behind the bumper. Other nitpicks: performance has decreased noticeably in 10 years (can't keep up with my friend's 2000 BMW 528i which has similar power, more weight, and an automatic tranny), trim panels have started to fall off (which i've noticed happens to other A4s of the same vintage), electronic gremlins (seat belt/headlight warning buzzer stopped working so I sometimes leave my lights on; radio works intermittently, sunroof pops open sometimes). Overall, I appreciate the car for what it is. My parents have picked up the maintenance tab; I otherwise wouldn't be able to afford this car. From a personal standpoint, I need a car that's rugged and simple to work on (ie cheap), something that I won't worry about when I haul all my gear around or tow a 500 lb. race car, or carry a couple kegs (hey, I'm a college student). This car is too nice (even at 10 years old) to be able to do any of that, which is why a Jeep Liberty or Wrangler is more appropriate for me. But if I had a legit job, or needed to impress people, then this car is tremendous value, if you don't abuse it and you're able to pay attention to the upkeep.Mar 29, 2008